The Prologues to Guilt
by AlbinoElephanti
Summary: Looking back we tend to regret things that we did or didn't do. Others do not always feel the same way towards their own actions... Spoilers for PW 1-3 Dahlia and Iris POV Untold stories from the past Rated T for mild cursing Genre subject to change


Hello all I welcome you to my first fiction. The idea kind of came to me on my way to breakfast one day. Since then I've been developing the story into what it currently is. This isn't a one shot and will have multiple chapters with different POV (mostly Dahlia's and Iris's though).

Warning: This story will spoil all current Phoenix Wright games (besides Apollo Justice), and will especially spoil Trials and Tribulations (PW3).

Note: A quick thanks to Mia Fey from Court Records (Pen and Paper71 here on FF) for pointing out a few things for me in the beginning part of the story. And sorry if there might be a few grammar errors around x3;;; I'm still looking for beta reader.

Disclaimer: I obviously do not own Phoenix Wright, the characters, scenarios or anything. That priest is mine though, so no touchy him -shot-

**Chapter one: The beginning of an end- Dahlia Hawthorne.**

* * *

December 12, 2018.  
California State Jail.  
Death Row Convict Quarters: Prison Cells 323-343

The area she had called 'home' for quite a few years now was deathly quiet as usual. Death row convicts weren't very talkative and most of them had already been moved into solitary confinement. She didn't mind it though. The Silence was somewhat comforting. It allowed her to replay her memories over and over. From being incarcerated, to killing her ex-lover. Even farther back her memory traced, to the jewel heist, her sister being taken away and her parents divorce. She did have an excellent memory after all.

"Prisoner 41113; Hawthorne, Dahlia!"

From her small secluded cell all the way in the back of the hallway there was a voice calling to her. It was one of the prison guards. He looked quite slim, lanky and not very strong at all. In fact- he looked ridiculously stupid. They probably assigned him to this part of the jail since this hallway was deemed the hall that holds the more 'physically weak' people. Those that killed not with brawn and or guns, but with patience and a calculating mind. _People_ besmirched by those who have proved their intellect by catching them as if they literally were red-handed.

_People_ just like _her_…who were besmirched by _someone_ who was not even worthy of a second look.

_Someone_ like that third-rate defense attorney, who had _the nerve_ to take her down when she was on the top.

_People_ like _her_, Dahlia Hawthorne and _Someone_ like that woman. That dammed _Mia Fey_.

Dahlia took a look at the guard that came up to her, putting on her best charming smile. The man, Prisoner Guard Mike Meekins, looked down at that precious charming girl with the smile that showed almost no lies. Yet under it she was scowling. Scowling at his incompetence and cowering. She hated him. "Miss Hawthorne! Y-Your state appointed priest has arrived to console you…before…well…" he kept pausing in the sentence, fiddling the tie under his apparel nervously.

Not many people had the bravery to talk about death. Especially a state appointed execution. Dahlia had accepted her fate quite a while ago. Especially when she heard the news that _Mia Fey_ was killed. Of course her killer was caught by none other than her little prodigy, Phoenix Wright. Of course the young Madame Fey had already exacted her revenge against her. _Mia Fey_ caught her not only poisoning her defense attorney lover, Diego Armando was it now?, but she also snagged her for killing 'Douggie' and trying to frame 'Feenie' for the murder. She was going to be executed for both the poisoning and the murder. It took a while for the sentence to be carried out though. About six years to be exact.

In that time she hadn't gotten much of an…audience in that time. Her sister, after discovering what had occurred, was obviously ashamed at Dahlia for trying to kill her 'pretend lover'. Of course sweet little Iris, with no convictions or conceptions, made a sad attempt to cover up her shame with pity and sadness. It was crystal clear how her sister felt about the attempted murder of 'Feenie' and the murder of Swallow. She probably felt ashamed at her past acts too with Fawles and her step-sister, Valerie.

Of course there was the arrange meeting that she had with her mother Morgan Fey when she found out Morgan was carrying out a sentence in the same jail she was left to rot in for quite a while. Needless to say their conversation was quite…loud.

'_Y-You! You're still alive?!!' Morgan hissed out, banging her hands on a white round table inside the empty prison cafeteria. At the time a special meeting was taking place between the two during the prison's recreational hour so. Only four people were in the room- Morgan, herself and two intimidating looking guys that were watching them just in case anything got out of hand. Even women like them had fury in them._

'_My sentence won't be carried out for a while, mother. I suggest you get comfortable with that knowledge.' She responded with a monotone voice, not caring for her mother or the birth giver's tone._

'_If you're alive…that means she is too?!' Morgan asked daringly, her eyebrows tightening in an almost dangerous fashion. She was getting that ill-temper again._

'_She? If you mean Iris then yes, she is alive,' Dahlia paused, twirling a strand of her scarlet red hair dully. 'She visited me two weeks ago, before you came. So unless you broke both her legs a couple days before you were charged with being a tool to murder then there's a good chance she's alive and healthy on that stupid big mountain.'_

_Morgan's eyes almost shed tears. But not tears of joy. No, she was furious. Her face told the whole story. She then let out a ghastly yell that echoed in the cafeteria. The cry alerted the guards behind her, ready to hold back Morgan from doing anything she would—or perhaps wouldn't—regret. She quickly staggered from her seat and glared with utter rage at Dahlia._

'_YOU LITTLE __**WITCH**__!' Morgan shouted at what she considered her illegitimate daughter. She was ready to jump one of her eldest daughters, until the guards quickly got to her sides and held back her kimono-dressed arms, and started to pull back her mother. 'You're supposed to be__** dead**__! If you aren't, then my precious Pearl will __**NEVER**__ BE THE MASTER and my FOOL of a niece will never be THROWN off her damn /PEDESTAL/! I swear to Mystic Ami if you aren't __**KILLED**__ by the time that note is found __**I WILL **__kill you with my own TWO HANDS, __**DAHLIA**__!!'_

Dahlia was for once shocked. Not at Morgan but at herself. She never once flinched at something such as a death threat. Was it because of all people the mother that she was forced to abandon was the one telling her this?

By the time Morgan had finished swearing her vows to her the guards had detained the bitter woman once more and sent her back to her cell. As for her- a guard came, not five seconds later after her mother was pulled away, and took her back to her own cell at the other side of the prison. It was only a month ago now that her mother and she met once more. Morgan was far more stable that time around and wasn't yelling out insane death threats. In fact she introduced that plan that she mentioned in that little rant. At first Dahlia was a little skeptical but in the end decides to go along with it. After all, it did benefit her, if not greatly. But that plan would be a story for another time.

Then that fool decided to show up, a mere few months after the trial that sent her to jail was over. It was her 'ex-lover' Phoenix Wright. He visited her to demand an explanation. He wanted to know why she tried to kill him like that, after what _they shared_. She wanted to laugh. Yet again it was crystal clear that neither Phoenix nor _Mia Fey_, for that matter, knew the truth of 'what they shared'. All she did was look at him and told him with the utmost uncaring smile.

'_Why couldn't you just give me back that damn necklace? Maybe then none of this mess would have happened.'_

It was the truth. She didn't doubt that the fool had continued to deny himself of the fact that she used the bottle attached to the little deceiving heart shaped necklace to-

"Miss Hawthorne!" The lowly guard cried out quickly, breaking the clips of her thoughts throughout the past years. "I-I'm sorry for dis-disturbing your silence! B-But the priest-"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Meekins." She replied dotingly, flashing an innocent lie of a smile. "But I'm not a very religious person. I will have no need for the priest."

Mr. Meekins tinted a slight scarlet and banged a saluted hand onto his forehead. "O-Okay Miss Hawthorne. I-I'll tell him to le-leave!" He declared, turning on his heel and running from her cell. What a stupid man.

Recollecting her thoughts she continued her small slide-show of thoughts. Phoenix Wright…she could still remember that fateful day. The day she took down _Mia Fey_'s support branch, in an act of revenge against the defense attorney for trying to take her down with Terry Fawles case. Oh how she hated her.

* * *

August 27, 2012.  
District Courthouse Cafeteria;  
3:45 PM

"Hello Mr…um…I'm sorry, what was your name again?" Dahlia, age 19, asked Diego Armando as she sat herself down on the brown chair. He was looking down a cup of black coffee, just as he did several months back. Back when she was almost charged with murdering Valerie when Fawles decided to…well take the 'fall' for her with that poison she gave him.

"Diego Armando. Although," he paused, thoughtfully taking a sip of his coffee, "I doubt you've forgotten me, have you? After all…it was you who asked we meet."

Dahlia flashed him a small smile, twirling a lock of her hair musingly. "You're quite sharp. As expected of course, being a defense attorney and all."

He chuckled with a hint of melancholy. "What can I do you for then? Perhaps," he paused, taking yet another sip of that bitter drink in his mug, "I can persuade to tell the truth?"

She kept that coy smile on her face. So he did know. Perhaps they all knew? After all, Terry did say that she gave him the poison to ingest if he ever 'betrayed her'. Of course no one would charge her for his murder, seeing as he killed himself right there on the stand. Yet it was easy to she that she was the demon hiding under the veil of darkness from the law that could not even hope to flick her skin, let alone touch her. "Well, I wish I knew what truth you were talking about." That was a terrible line. She knew damn well what he was talking about and he knew she was lying.

"Well…perhaps you need some thought. Maybe that pretty little necklace around your neck can provide the answers." Armando replied; referring to the heart-shaped necklace she was wearing. A replica of the one Terry used to commit suicide. Of course the original was taken in police custody after Terry used it. They told her she would get it back, but after almost a year she knew better.

Dahlia fingered the necklace nervously. Her face would never betray that anxiety. "Yes…maybe it can." She gave a thoughtful stare at the contents of her own cup of tea. Suddenly an idea cracked. "Do you mind getting me some bread, Mr. Armando?"

The defense attorney looked suspiciously at her and for a minute she thought he was on to her. Those fears were all dismissed as the broad man stood up from his chair and towards the little stand that was mandated by a cafeteria worker. There weren't too many people today in the cafeteria. It was probably because the majority of the people in the courtroom were here today to watch some kind of murder trial.

She quickly abandoned her thoughts as soon as she noticed that Diego was no longer in her sights. Now was the time to act. Snapping the necklace off her skinny neck she unfastened the bottle from the heart-shaped necklace and hastily poured the liquid contents inside the cup of coffee he left behind so foolishly. She made sure that very last drop of the poison was poured in. If she didn't pour in just the correct amount then it wouldn't have enough effect to kill him off. Everyone was minding their own uninteresting business so they didn't even notice her. As soon as no more drops would fall from the glass she quickly tightened the glass bottle around the top holder of her heart-shaped necklace again and snapped it back onto her neck.

Not too long after Diego came back with a slice of potato bread. He placed it on the same plate as her tea cup and chuckled. "Well, did my little trip give you some time to think?"

Dahlia smiled, taking a small sip of her honey tea and giggled like a little foolish child. Of course- she was really nothing like that. "Yes it actually did. It's a shame though. I almost feel sorry for that woman." She paused, biting her tongue lightly. "That _Mia Fey_, that is."

He made a small 'hmm' sound, twirling the toxic coffee around with a spoon. The attorney had no clue what he just did to allow the witch he was facing to destroy him. "Time for you to stop playing dumb, Miss Hawthorne. You know exactly what you did to Terry and Valerie."

She made a small chuckle herself and looked at him boredly. "I'm afraid I don't understand, Diego Armando. After all, the reason I wasn't convicted for my step-sister's murder was because you and_Mia Fey_ lacked 'decisive' evidence."

He looked at her, his carefree aura dissipating. "So you admit it…you_did_ kill her."

Dahlia sneered. "Doesn't matter if I 'admit' whatever you think it is. All that matters if you can prove what I did in the court of law. Which you just attempted to do several months back and failed."

Diego chuckled. "No, you're wrong. We just failed _accusing_ you of her murder, not _convicting_. They're two very different words and can lead to two _extremely_ different cases. What we tried to do was prove that Terry Fawles didn't kill Valerie Hawthorne or attempt to kill you when you were still thirteen. We proved the latter, but unfortunately thanks to your…_unique method_ of establishing trust, we failed at the former. As soon as we find that evidence on you I'll be sure to let Kitten personally fill out that arrest warrant for you." He flashed a toothy grin at her with the end of his statement. A silent promise that he would catch her for what she did, not only to _Mia Fey_ but to Terry Fawles and her step-sister Valerie Hawthorne. "I'm sure she would love it."

The red head paused, her eyes barely twinkling with hatred. But his smirk told the story. He cornered her. That's the only reason he agreed to meet her. To forewarn her. Like the cocky bastard he is. That's when she saw him fingered the handle of his white coffee mug. Her heart almost stopped.

"May you excuse me, Mr. Armando? I need to use the bathroom." She lied almost effortlessly. Since being taken by her step-father she molded lying to people's faces to an art form.

He smirked triumphantly, as if he won the war before the battle was fought. "Be my guest, little witch."

She nodded, picking herself up from the chair and grabbing her umbrella with her. When she was little her mother bought her the umbrella for her second birthday. Since then she took it everywhere she went for no apparent reason sometimes.

Of course she didn't go to the bathroom. By the time she was out the door of the cafeteria she could hear the faint sounds of a man choking and sputtering. As she abandoned the hallway that led to the cafeteria there was a mixture of worried cries, a man yelling for someone to call an ambulance and other nonsense that goes on when someone is dying right in front of mortal eyes out of nowhere. The plan had been a success. Yet it wasn't over yet. She now had to hide the evidence. There weren't many people there but that didn't mean it was empty. Someone had to have noticed her there and if they found the necklace they would be quick to accuse her of poisoning him.

As she wandered around the court room, her hands starting to sweat lightly from hidden anxiety she tried to think of how to dispose of her necklace for the time being. Hiding it in the court lobbies was no use. If they ever did find it they would find her fingerprints on it and then quickly list her down as the number one suspect of murder. Keeping it would do no good too. At the rate that she noticed security guards rushing to the cafeteria now she knew that if she tried to leave the building she would probably be stopped in her tracks.

Wandering around different lobbies she cursed at herself. How did she not think of a better post-plan to the poisoning? She was going to go to jail if she didn't get rid of the bottle- _now_.

That's when whatever God or Satan in Heaven blessed her for some reason. Maybe because they felt sorry for her, even if she did just poison a completely innocent man. Her eyes had darted to a door; where the light shined the brightest. The door was lettered boldly:

'**COURT REFERENCE LIBRARY'**  
'**SILENCE IS GOLDEN LAW'**

Without second thought she breezed into the library swiftly, closing the door with a soft click behind her. She twirled around and walked near the middle of the cramped library, to meet the area with more open eyes. It was a small place, but rows and columns of books were on both sides, leaving only a free middle path. Satan blessed her with this_travesty_?! There wasn't a single place to hide the necklace and she couldn't hide out here for too long either! How was she suppose to make due with this-

"Um…hello? Miss, are you okay?" A young timidly coward voice asked. Dahlia hadn't even noticed he walked right in front of her. What was he doing here alone, of all places?

She blinked quickly and started to focus more on him. He was about a foot, no more than two feet, taller than she was. The man had a strange spiky hair style, which was gelled so that the spikes were sticking out from the back of his hair. He wasn't wearing anything too amazing. Just a blue t-shirt and red shorts that went down to his knees. A quick look and she guessed quickly that he was probably a college student. His eyes looked sickeningly pure and he was…was…

…just_absolutely perfect_.

"I-I'm fine, thank you," she stuttered purposely, giving him a shy look. There was no time to waste on getting his trust. She had to dispose of the necklace now. "Can you do me a favor, please?"

The man looked at her confusedly at ruffled the top of his hair. He was nervous. "A f-favor?" He stuttered too, but his was far more natural then hers. "What do you mean?"

Dahlia gave a small smile, cursing on the inside on how long this was taking. "I want you-" she paused, unsnapping the cord of the necklace from her neck once more and placing it in the man's palm, as if it was a cherished item of love, "-to carry this."

He looked back up at her, a small tint of the same color as her hair forming on his cheeks. His eyes darted back down to the golden necklace, holding a glass blue bottle inside the heart-shape. "M-Miss, I-"

She giggled lightly again, reeling in her snag. "Please, call me Dahlia. Dahlia Hawthorne to be more precise."

The man blushed more and rubbed the back of his neck gingerly. "O-Okay, Dahlia…I'm Phoenix…Phoenix Wright."

Dahlia nodded happily. "Okay then…Feenie." She quickly made up, not putting too much thought into it. "I'll be back later, so don't worry too much about me. Just don't leave the court house until I come back, okay?" She cutely asked, inside demanding him to stay here.

He clasped the necklace around his own neck, touching the heart-shaped piece on the bottom with the utmost care. "Okay Dollie, I'll be around here so you can find me again!" He stated, putting his hands in her gently with a pure smile of utter radiance.

Dollie? She wanted to hurl.

'Dahlia' nodded quickly, took her hands out of his and left the library with haste. Inside her mind she was cheering and bowing to the imaginary crowd. Not only did she get rid of the bottle she handed it over to a complete moronic fool. As soon as the questioning, she was sure to receive, was over she would come get the bottle back from him and everything would be good in her world again. As she was cheering in her mind a large scruffy looking detective came over to her and asked her to come with him for questioning. She gladly agreed (after all, they couldn't do anything to her since she didn't have the bottle on her person) and followed him to a small briefing room in the court house. Everything was going according to plan…

Until '_Feenie_' had to shred up her plans with his complete moronic mindset.

"Give it back? But Dollie, didn't you say you wanted me to have it?"

Dahlia looked at him with that same look on her face as always. However her mood about the situation was anything but. She gave out a small giggle and draped the hair over her right shoulder to her back. "Feenie, you don't understand. That bottle…it's very important to me and I need to have it back, please."

He looked at her confusingly for a minute but then came up with what she thought was almost a brilliant fool comeback. "If it was so important to you then that could only mean that you…you really must like me!"

Now she wanted to rip him to shreds. "N-no! I-I mean, I really need that back, Feenie. _Pretty_ please?!" Pretty please. What an idiotic term. But then again she was in an idiotic situation and dealing with a complete idiot.

"Dollie, you don't need to be shy now. It's okay to feel this way, even though we just met." He stated with a humorous chuckle, taking her hand again. Okay that was it. "After all I have always been a believer in 'love at first sight'". She wanted to kill him for what he was saying. She just said 'PRETTY PLEASE' in that sickening tone that she does to get people to do what she wants.

"Feenie-" She tried to argue, ready to bash his head with her umbrella and then just steal the damn bottle.

"No, Dollie, it's okay to be shy! But we can't deny love when it's staring at us." Staring at us?! She only met him a couple hours ago. "Now then, you're a college student right? Where do you go to school?"

She tightened her teeth together ferociously but took a quick sigh to calm herself down, before she did something that would ruin it all. "I go to Ivy University…I'm going to be a third year this September."

He gasped in complete amazement. That couldn't be good. "Ivy U?! Dollie, that's perfect! I go there as well, and I'll be a third year too!"

**No.**

"In fact I was over here to get more information for a summer assignment." Stop. Stop right now. She thought she was going to implode.

"That's…wonderful…" she exclaimed almost in bitterness. But in his rambling he didn't seem to notice anything at all besides his own words sputtering from that open mouth of his.

"Actually I'm doing a double major for Art and Law!" He quickly continued, fiddling with her necklace around his neck again.

"Law?" Dahlia rather stated then asked.

"Yes! I want to become a defense lawyer someday!" The excited man exclaimed with joy. This was probably the most thrilling conversation he ever had. But on the other side, she was screaming out in anger. She was going to be _living_ with a _defense lawyer_ in training?! Bad enough that she was just being stalked by two of them since February but now she was going to be with someone that would soon join their ranks!

"Wow…that's amazing, Ph- Feenie." She almost spat out, not being close to as thrilled as the other was. Out of all the people she had to run into at a library, it had to be an idiot.

That's when he did /it/. He laughed bashfully at her words, and she wanted to simply strangle him, take the necklace with her incriminating evidence, and leave him for death. Just like she did with Terry, and like what she did again just a couple hours ago with Diego Armando. Then another thought popped into her mind and she almost wanted to smack herself for her own 'moronic incompetence'.

How could she possibly forget that she was dating Doug in just a couple hours!?

This was a terrible situation. An idiot had her bottle, which she just used to poison a defense attorney. She had to break up with her current tool, and explain to him how she could possibly fall for another man when she had been in a committed relationship with him for nine months prior. Then there was her situation. She had been cleared of the role as suspect in the poisoning but the police said she would be enlisted in witness protection just in case of the 'murderer' coming after her next.

She had no choice…

* * *

"M-Miss, Hawthorne…" stuttered a voice from the outside. Dahlia dismissed the clippings of her thoughts again to look toward Mike Meekins and the old man wearing black next to him. "I'm sorry…I know you said that you didn't want the priest to visit but he _absolutely_ insisted on meeting you."

Her eyes slowly turned back to the old man again. He was a few inches shorter than Meekins and had a very solemn look, which was odd since he was staring down at a convicted felon. _Then again, I don't exactly look like the type that would even hurt a fly. _He was dressed in a priest's black robe, with a collar around his neck and a white square in the middle of it. Like most stereotype priests he was hugging a hardcover copy of The Bible to his chest. If this man was so intent on seeing her then why not allow it…just for a little while of course.

A sweet dainty smile graced her lying lips again as she nodded to Meekins. Quickly after that he opened the barred up door to allow the priest entry and soon shut it closed again. "H-He'll be here for about a c-c-couple hours, Miss Hawthorne!" The lanky guard stated, saluting stupidly to her as if she were an official. He then retreated back to the other side of the prison, allowing the priest and her to remain in silence together.

"Shall we begin, Miss Hawthorne?" The priest asked with a gentle smile. She wondered if he had any clue what he was about to even get into.


End file.
